The Beat

Hands On With The Sims

A ring of stations placed right in the center of EA’s floor show off the next great Sims developments, and a video for Sims Social guides us through the possibilities of combining the Sims with our friends on Facebook. In this particular story, the spark of love ignites a wonderful evening for a young couple wining and dining in their Sims neighborhood, all started by a simple, instant message.

Moving over to a video for The Sims 3 Pets, we’re invited into a nearby room with a live demo of the game. We’re first taken to the pet creation screen, as pets are treated just like any other Sim, complete with different personality types, coat patterns, wishes, and even careers. Their movements are realistic and familiar, and we’re shown a handful of cats and dogs that would win the admiration of any pet lover.

The rep uses Kinect to flip through some of the 100 different cat and dog breeds, customizing a dog’s head shape, behavior (he chose Destructive, and Destructive he was!), and coloring, all using simple Kinect gestures to navigate the menus. Pets can start their lives as young pups or kittens, and live through three stages of life. We’re shown some pets in action, and the creative ways they interact with the environment depending on their design.

Along with Pets comes the new Mystery Journal, complete with various stories and challenges to inspire further exploration and involvement with your characters. And if you need a little help along the way, or simply want to wreck a little havoc, Karma Powers give you the extra oomph needed to create truly incredible stories. You’ll never know the incredible response you’ll get from calling down a Meteor Strike until you’ve tried it yourself!

Discover the possibilities when the Sims 3 Pets launches next fall. For more info on everything Sims, visit www.ea.com/Sims.